With attendance numbers being what they are, it's a no brainer to drive to the game and park on a side street. Why you'd take a bus, unless it you live just beyond walking distance and can take a single bus, is beyond me.

Re: 67's attendance

Another sparse crowd at the civic centre last night. The team is turning things around after a rough start on the road, so hopefully some wins will equal bums in the seats soon. I noticed that Hunt was running ads on TSN 1200 saying that there is plenty of parking available at the arena on game nights, I think he's neglected to mention this to 67's fans who didn't make it to a football game this summer/fall and aren't familiar with the setup at the new digs.

When is it time for the alarm bells to go off? After Christmas? Does he wait till then or can he do some damage control now to try to sway people to come on back?5 home games into the season and the average attendance is a paltry 2586 per game. Way down from when they played in no man's land the last two seasons. My son and I went last night and he made a comment that I've never heard come from him (hockey nut), "Dad, this is boring". Not sure I had thought about it in the previous 4 games we'd been to but he was right in a way. An empty building has no emotion and no feeling of ambiance like it used to. Seems like they lost that feeling the last 2 years but I would have thought they'd be trying to regain that home mojo with the fans. They've tried promoting the "We're coming home" theme, but the in game experience seems to be lost somewhere. Sure they added more vendors in the stands and that's all good, but there doesn't seem to be that pump up the crowd feel to the game experience.

i saw last night they raised the parking price from 12 dollars to 15 . too much for ohl hockey. if you look in the crowd theres not many families it just cost too much. they have priced them selves way too much for a family to go to a game. its to bad is this the a slow ending of this team.

Just to prove your point sec20forever, I did a little research. Family of 4 breaks down to: Adult $22.74 + $5.26 service charges = $28 x 2 = $56. Kids $15.74 + $5.26 service charges = $21 x 2 = $42. Parking is $12 if purchased with your tickets ($15 at the game). Grand total is $110 for a family of 4 to get in..

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, the Senators are making things really easy to take in a game for a family. I looked at tickets vs. the Islanders in the coke zone behind the net in the nose bleed sections. Flat fee for 4 tickets $15.61 + $6.89 service fee = $22.50 per ticket x 4 = $90 + $13 for parking. Grand total is $103.. It makes me shake my head. It's really too bad they've taken this road. I really hope they take the time to re-evaluate these prices in the off season to hopefully bring back some of those fans they've ticked off. I'm becoming one of them. I hope they can look at London's model for keeping their building full or Quebec's prices for tickets to get some ideas...

Well now here is the $64,000 question. Now that the 67s are the only game in town (RedBlacks, and Fury season is now over) will they promote, or will they work on getting more Fury fans (face it for the next couple of years RedBlack are more or less sell outs).

Are they tanking this season because the stands are not done at TD place? If so come out and say it, "Due to the continuing construction, we would like to encourage fans to stick with us this year, and work towards filling the place next year?)

I have seen Jeff walking around the empty arena during games, is he happy with this?

In short does OSEG short for Ottawa Sixty sevens Elimination Goons?

How to save money, buy right from the 67s, $18/ticket, take bus, or park on the street (with 2000 fans showing up, there should be some good spots in the Glebe)

I personally park at South Keys, and take the 1, but I think I won't do many Friday games, I can wait for a bus on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

The attendance numbers will get a boost with the annual school day game this coming Monday. Great deal, $5 per ticket for the kids and $10 for adults who are accompanying them. By far the loudest crown of the season!

BB King wrote:The attendance numbers will get a boost with the annual school day game this coming Monday. Great deal, $5 per ticket for the kids and $10 for adults who are accompanying them. By far the loudest crown of the season!

The school day game is at Scotiabank place not TD Place. More seats and parking for buses.

i heard at the last game that they will have some smaller bags of popcorn and small drinks guess they saw there was no line ups to buy stuff. went to get a coffee when the gates open and was told at two stands it wont be ready for for while longer. talked to a buddy who has season tickets and was told if you are going wholefoods there was parking and if you did not have prepaid parking pass he was told to park on the street. so i guess the 67s are below the store now . this team might last 5 years. as my buddy says he will not be back next year.

The way things are being run, right now, OSEG is going to drive all the fans away and will have nothing in a few years. Everything OSEG does, is in the interest of the REDBLACKS and football. That is their pride and joy, and I don't think they care if the 67's survive or not. There has been such turnover in the staff that they don't know hockey any more and can't seem to figure out what the hockey fan wants or needs. Longtime season ticket holders who have been accustomed to a certain way are not happy. I spoke to many and overheard others and I can tell you that A LOT of STH are not happy.

I can see it next year, OSEG announces during the summer that the 67's will have a new jersey and logo for the 2015-16 year. '67's' inside a circular saw blade, on a red and black plaid jersey... It really wouldn't surprise me.

They have done so many things wrong, big and small.No printed SchedulesLine-ups only available on the upper concourse (not good for the handicapped fan)The video board that can only be seen on the North side.The parking fiasco, whether it be cost or the fact that the elevator for handicapped is farther to the arena than the stairs, or that there is no underground entrance into the arena.Handicapped logistics (or lack thereof). I am sure the only men's washroom on the lower concourse does not meet handicapped specification code.Pretty limited food selection. (Variation of) Hot dog, Pizza or smoked meat sandwich (if that concession is open). Only one size of popcorn. I will give them one thing, the prices are lower.No atmosphere during intermissions.Ticket prices -- enough said alreadyBox Office outside, a good walk in from Bank Street. Yeah, that will go over in January when it is 25 below.

And then there is the arena itself. For promoting a brand new refurbished arena to come and enjoy the game s in (We're coming home!) there was really very little done. Condemned suites and press box that won't even be fixed in time for the Brier in 2016, which again tells me they really don't care if the 67's are around by then. Same old dirty seats. My buddy has been sitting in the Premier seats because the arena staff can't even find the time to put new bolts in his seat to keep the back up. He complained the first game of the season. And while the ice making plant breakdown was not their fault directly, do you not think they would have checked it over after 42 years of use and sitting idle for two years?

Thank goodness the hockey team has finally turned the corner and is winning games. Would shudder to think what the attendance would be if they were as bad as the last few years.

Well $39.95 plus tax, you hit the nail on the head. I walked through the arena for the first game and I was underwhelmed. The renovations closed and blocked off the west gate onto the lower concourse, so now we enter through an exit door at the west end. Of course, you have to dodge the golf carts shuttling fans in and line up a bit because there are only two doors. The ramp is very slippery when there is any snow or ice on it, even with salt applied.

As you enter, everything is pretty much the same. The men's washrooms on the upper concourse at each end have been modified, due to changes in the electrical system, I think. There used to be two doors inside and out to allow some traffic flow. Now there is just one and you have to squeeze through between those at the sink and those at the stand-ups. It isn't bad once you get used to it. The other washrooms have an entrance door and an exit, but the sinks and paper towel dispenser are located in such a way that two men at these can block the exit. The entrance door has no handle on it, so there is really one way out. They could at least add a handle to the inside of both doors before someone gets cranked trying to leave.

Once you get to the seats, little has changed, except that STH were displaced due to the closing of the suites and the upper levels. The new press table kicked more out. The paint on the floors is like an old friend and, for me, documents the years that I've spent there. The cables for TV still run over the floor, but with a shiny new rubberized cover instead of tape. Very little sign of security. Maybe they are just so good, you don't even see them.

As for the ice plant, well that was just bad planning. Two years of heavy construction within 100 yards and the 49-year-old ice plant suffered some damage. Whoda thunk it? The sad part is that the arena is, for now, the focal point of the park. The RedBlacks will play 10 games a year there for a couple of years more, at least, and then 11 after that. Some college football. The 67's look like they are rounding into a much more competitive team. I hope that their dressing rooms are improved... please?

I think that there is more than just paranoia in the idea that OSEG sees no future in OHL hockey here. The new video boards would be easier to move than a big centre ice scoreboard. I hope not, but I am getting a very uneasy feeling. I have to think that OSEG will bid for the 2017 Memorial Cup, but will this facility be ready for that or will they pass on the opportunity? Should I book my rooms in London now?

To be fair, I think that OSEG faced some considerable obstacles. The condition of the south side stands had to be a surprise, requiring a full rebuild. The lengthy court battles and the conditions put on the design team to placate local residents were costly and forced unnecessary changes. The stadium "veil" and scoreboard placement come to mind, as well as the parking for several hundred bicycles (should come in handy in January).

Maybe this is premature and things will work out, but I must also admit to some disappointment with the way things are right now.

1.) Marketing, how it works, how it fails specifically with relation to something that's not needed like hockey tickets, over something needed like cell phones or food.2.) Autopsy on what the hell went wrong with [insert name of company here]

For the record, I don't think that the 67's are dead or doomed. But the situation that they currently find themselves in is disasterous at best.

For those who didn't visit the Erie Insurance Arena during their rennovations - you have nothing to complain about - seriously!!

In Erie you had to pick a side and stay there, you could go from bench side to penalty box side without walking the distance of almost three city blocks outside in the cold. If their fans survived that . . .and some pretty non-competitve teams over everything but the last two seasons, Ottawa fans can survive some comparitively small construction headaches.

Leaving your home for some massive, 90% or greater empty arena for two years where the team misses the post-season is disasterous.

It removes all but the most hard-core fans from the team, and probably the most important consideration is just time passed. It's like graduating from high school, moving to Austria for a year, telling the high-school sweetheart that its unfair for you to have them wait for them, coming back and expecting to start over where you were. Typically that highschool sweetheart has found a new boyfriend/girlfriend. I think that's what's happened to about 4,000 fans per game in Ottawa. Saturday night is the Sens and Friday night is now Movie night, shiny hockey night, night at the pool hall with buddies, suddenly once it's gone you start realizing how much it is to buy back in.

It may surprise many here to read this. I think that if the 67's had slashed their prices and announced single-level across the board $14 ticket prices for this season it wouldn't have put much of a dent in the attendance woes this year. Its a nasty situation. At the same time, I think that it's like the football proverb that I love to use. What are you gonna do after dropping the football. That's what counts, if you stand there like a moron staring up into space blaming yourself, you're not going to recover it, and sometimes recovering that football isn't in the cards, it's simply downing the guy on the other team that got it. Whatever it is in life, when you do drop the ball its how you react. It'll be interesting to see how the 67's react in this instance.

The underlying problem is that the whole project was sold as a renewal of Lansdowne and a fresh start for sports in Ottawa. In reality, the 45-year-old arena is now a 47-year-old arena with a few minor changes and some foolish design errors. The fact that other arenas were worse doesn't really mean anything to me. Sorry, but that's reality. Poor design in Erie doesn't make poor design in Ottawa any more palatable. These are not construction headaches. They are the way things are going to be for the foreseeable future.

I would have thought that building a new arena in an area with adequate parking and close to the new LRT would have been a better solution, but this is a government town. You have to get written permission to wipe your rear end. That is also the way things are going to be for the foreseeable future.

Watching the news after the school day game and they interviewed Mr.Hunt and he was excited about the game and the atmosphere there and all was good for a day but they asked him about the attendance woes at Td arena and he said he was very concerned about it. He went on to add that they're looking at ways to get fans back and that they're going to work hard to make that happen.

In the previous three seasons, I've bought the kids pass for my son and purchased some 10 game flex packs for myself. This season I was told that the kids pass wouldn't be available so it kind of forced my hand to get a Friday night pack for myself and my son as it does save me a little money and guarantees the same seats. Well in the last couple of weeks, I've seen some advertising for a kids pass that comes into effect in January till the end of the regular season. Damage control on their part, kudos to them, but they've also ticked off some people(BB King and son) who were told they weren't going to offer it this season. Now that that have my money up front, I guess it doesn't matter, but needless to say I'm not really impressed. Hunt keeps making a point to say that there is parking at the arena but I think he's missing the point, it's $12-$15, which crazy for junior hockey!!!!

I did send the OSEG group an email about the crazy ticket/parking prices about a month ago and I'm still waiting for a response from them. Like I said, they have my money so what's the rush, right??

39.95 plus tax wrote:I can see it next year, OSEG announces during the summer that the 67's will have a new jersey and logo for the 2015-16 year. '67's' inside a circular saw blade, on a red and black plaid jersey... It really wouldn't surprise me.

Alrighty, posting this to be somewhat of a devils advocate, but also putting some logic and possible reasoning into it as well. My dad has been a season ticket holder since the mem cup, I have been a frequent visitor as well, and we are not that thrilled either, however I don't feel all the complaints should be directed solely on OSEG.

1) Attendance has been dropping since 2007-2008 (http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/ ... p?tmi=7314). Coincidence you say that the Sens stanley cup run coincides with this drop? You would be wrong as the Sens also dropped in attendance the following year. Could the possible "recession" of the time helped kick this in motion, possibly. Either way this is a pattern that has been happening for a while now, but we used the CTC as an excuse the last few years even though the trend had not changed at all. Maybe the hay day of the early 00's were just money throwing families who wanted to do things together and spend a Friday night or Sun afternoon at the rink, where now they are either sitting at home on video games or out at one of their many organized clubs, sports or events. Either way, this attendance bomb has been consistent, and maybe we are actually finally at where we should be, or maybe its a wave pattern and things will spike again?

2) Another big reason why attendance has been dropping is Hunt year after year has been giving away LESS and LESS free tickets. Working heavily in minor hockey I know that there have been less and less available each year for free for minor hockey players to get their hands on. Looks bad on the attendance averages, but on the flip side at least the number is now more accurate on actual tickets bought.

3) Landsdowne complaints need to be carefully looked at where we are pointing the finger. Parking has nothing to do with OSEG. In fact, the reason a certain adult league doesnt play games at TD Place anymore isnt because OSEG/City wouldnt give them a great price on ice, but because the parking company responsible for the parking wanted $10.00 a car for men's league parking. Also, the plan to rebuild lansdowne was a joint plan between the City and OSEG. OSEG was responsible for the Football Stadium and both stands, the arena, part of the bank street stores, and 2 condos. Everything else in the building phase, including parking, was left to the City, so they are to blame for not joining the parking to the rink. Food quality and pricing has nothing to do with OSEG other than they approved Aramark (or whoever the heck it is) as the vendor. However yes, OSEG should chirp them if things arent going well for their product directly because of the outsourcing.

4) I personally love the new big HD screen. If you are on the south side you could barely see it before anyways, so why not get a giant one on the wall. The south side now has nice HD screens to see the same thing anyway. This big screen also allows concerts to have a screen to use above their stage as part of their set.

5) Another big thing that really ticks off my dad and myself is the visible lack of communication between all the outsourced parties. Security/Vendors/Paramedics/Cheerleaders/Mascots all constantly walk in front of our view (row bb) when play is on. We have complained multiple times, and it works for that game, but new people are there the following week and same thing happens.

Do I feel the 67's have been hung out to dry? Sure, they have been for the last 3 years since the RedBlacks were announced and Lansdowne was being developed. Will they ever die and go away? Not a chance. As long as the RedBlacks and Fury are afloat, the 67's will be too. Something we ALL need to realize is we arent the only show in town anymore. Yes, this WILL piss off people who have been treated amazingly in the past by this organization, however now all the effort to keep one fan base happy has grown into 3, and the man power they have only increased slightly. Times they are a changing.

Will prices piss off people, yes, will lack of much stadium upgrades piss off people, yes, will on ice performance piss off people, yes, but these in my eyes are big ticket items that take a lot to fix. What drives me nuts, and what I can tell drives other people nuts are the small things they aren't doing anymore, the easy fixes! Line ups cards, programs, give aways, family entertainment other than the game, lying to us (such as the kids pass and not wanting to sell tickets in the upper bowl). This is what is tipping people over the edge, and needs to be fixed.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think the only problem with tickets prices is sharing a market with the Senators, who have the lowest ticket prices of any Canadian NHL market. Ticket prices will always fluctuate especially in big markets. Fans didn't stop showing up in 2002 when ticket prices increased.

I don't know all the reasons why fans aren't showing up but speaking to season ticket holders, some who renewed and some who did not, the most recurring issue seems to be transportation.

Remember, one of the biggest reasons the 67's couldn't continue to play at Lansdowne during the construction was supposedly because the arena would have been too rickety as they built the underground parking.

So the only people who suffered at the hands of the new parking arrangements are 67's fans, and the only people who aren't able to benefit from the new parking arrangements are 67's fans (RedBlacks fans STH's get free parking, certain Fury fans do as well, 67's fans do not). $12 for parking in junior hockey is unheard of in this city.

Throw in how difficult it is to take a normal bus down Bank St. right now and that discourages a big chunk of the fanbase. Lots of fans don't drive. The 1 and 7 used to be packed with 67's jerseys every Friday & Sunday

Full credit to OC Transpo for sticking with the 400's during their time at CTC, I honestly didn't think they would, but one shuttle from downtown to 67's games woulda been nice. Why do the RedBlacks need 21 shuttles per game and the 67's get none?

If the 67's ever get desperate to re-kindle their fanbase (I don't think they're at that stage yet), free parking for STH's and pulling OC Transpo's leg to add a shuttle or two would do it I'd think.

I don't have a personal opinion per se about any of this since I jog to the games, but that's not exactly a common method of transportation to a hockey game. This is just what I've heard from many disgruntled STH's.

Does the city not charge fluctuating parking rates depending on the event? I know that the Sens do that for Scotiabank Place. I paid less to park there for the Syracuse-Carleton basketball game last year and for the CIS Final 8 than I did for a Sens game.

If you buy your parking pass on line its $12.00. If you stand in the longggggg line ups during the game and miss most of the game doing this, it's $15.00 and if you don't know to pay by either of these two methods, you pay the going rates they charge per hour,minute and seconds.